Football team hosting bone marrow donor registry drive

The Salve Regina football team will host a bone marrow donor registry drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 2 in the Rodgers Recreation Center. Members of the Salve Regina community who are between the ages of 18 and 44 are encouraged to register with the Be the Match Foundation’s national marrow donor program.

Marrow donors are urgently needed to save the lives of patients with diseases like leukemia, lymphoma or sickle cell anemia. Patients are most likely to match someone who shares their ethnic background.

One local patient, 15-year-old Cranston resident Jude Amoako, was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia shortly after birth. Since then, he has received many blood transfusions and is now seeking a marrow transplant in hopes of living a “normal” life. While a transplant will offer him a cure, Jude does not have a donor match in his family and there are no matches on the registry at this time.

Typing fees for this drive are covered by health insurance or Michael’s Fund. Potential donors should bring their health insurance card.

For more information on the bone marrow donor program, visit www.BeTheMatchFoundation.org/goto/ribc.